Monday, August 23, 2010

Lipstick Laws

This week is the official start of:

Featured Writer's Week! (Yes this week will be extra long posts... a normal no-no for me, but with interviews... of course there are exceptions!

I love these weeks! 5 days filled with awesome bloggers and authors! I am actually cheating and there will be 8 authors total that I'll share within these next two weeks! So prepare for the awesomeness!

Today's featured writer: Amy Holder

Debuting her novel The Lipstick Laws in April 2011

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life as easily as snapping her perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.

For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. With zero friends and nothing close to a boyfriend, April is so unpopular, kids don't know she exists. That is, until Britney notices her. One lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.

But Britney's friendship comes with a price tag.

How much is April willing to pay?

Now let's get on to the questions!

1. Were you Britney in High School or more like April?
Personality wise, I was more like April. I was unsure of myself at times, a bit boy-crazy, longing for naturally straight hair (and still do), and I sometimes succumbed to peer pressure out of my desire to fit in. As an adult, I've realized that being unique totally trumps fitting in with the crowd.

2. Did your school follow certain rules for being popular?

Rule #1 - Dominate and train a herd of trusty followers.
Rule #2 - Always be nice to people's faces.
Rule #3 - Stay on top of trends, and know when to jump ship from sinking trends.
Rule #4 - Do WHATEVER IT TAKES to keep your popularity stock high.
Okay, I'm just kidding. Thank goodness there weren't any actual popularity rules, because that would be so wrong on so many levels. And you may just get a taste of those levels if you read The Lipstick Laws. But of course there were common unwritten popularity rules in my high school like being social, having popular friends, going to all the hot spots and parties, and claiming a socially coveted seat in the cafeteria, just to list some.

3. If you had the choice to step into any character (outside your book) who would you choose and why?

This is such a fun question! I'd probably want to be Hermione Granger because who wouldn't want to be muggle-born with magical powers? She has the best of both worlds, plus she gets to marry Ron Weasley... and I'd love to be a part of the Weasley clan. Not to mention, Hermione's parents are dentists, which means I could probably get laser teeth whitening whenever I want without going broke. Case closed.

4. Care to dish the dirt on any upcoming novels?

Right now I'm working on a contemporary YA novel with a paranormal twist. I'm planning on tackling a fun middle grade novel that's been brewing in my mind since 2003 after that. And I have tons of other stories in my brain that are pacing in line, just dying to get on paper.

5. Is there anyone who inspired you as a writer?

My parents always encouraged my creativity and nurtured my love of books, so they definitely inspired me from the beginning. As a child, I was also motivated to write my own stories after being completely captivated by Shel Silverstein and Roald Dahl books. Today, I'm inspired by Sophie Kinsella's amusing plots, Meg Cabot's endless imagination and productivity, and the laugh out loud humor of Louise Rennison.

6. Is this the first novel you've written?

Hmmmm... if you count my many attempts at writing novels from elementary school and on, I'd say I'm a pretty practiced novelist at this point. On the other hand, if you only want to count the ones worth publishing, I'd say this is my first.

Fun & Random Questions

Pizza joint: Mark's Pizza out of Rochester NY! I miss it and my mouth is watering now just thinking about it! Favorite subject: Psychology Lipstick or Lipgloss: Bring on the lipgloss! Hot Jock or Drama Geek: Can I say a creative, hot jock? Favorite book: You're killing me with this one! I have too many to choose from, but I'll go with one of my favorite classics and say A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Favorite TV Show: Project Runway! "Make it work!"

Thank you so much Amy!! Be sure to stop by Amy's blog, website and more about her upcoming novel!

40 comments:

hi miss jen and miss amy! that was a cool interview. i like interviews. i like how miss amy wrote stuff even when she was little cause that gives me some hope for when i get older. our mom got us reading a lot and read lots of stuff to us and that christmas carol one was one of them. ...hugs from lenny

Thanks to both of you for a great interview. Strange though the weird parallel on the blogs today about highschool. And yes Project Runway is awesome and I say it with pride haha. Very fun read and I love the cover.

Great interview, Jen! And thanks for sharing, Amy! I love getting to know more about fabulous writers, and this is definitely one of them. I'm looking forward to reading this book--and the cover is terrific!!

Hey Jen! I knew I liked you the second I opened your blogger profile and saw "I love to lie".... and then I opened your blog and I LOVE THIS. I love reading about other authors and their journeys and I think your idea to do interviews is so awesome. Anyway, keep in touch! I'm sure I'll be reading much, much more about you!